Logging and road improvements

Due to public pressure, the Flathead County Commissioners visited the North Fork in 1916 and decided to build a bridge at Polebridge which would give west side settlers access to the Inside Road to Belton.

In 1917, a proposed road was located and designed from Coal Creek, on the west side of the river, to the boundary, a distance of 29 1/2 miles. Because of World War I, construction did not begin until 1921.

Although there was a road from Columbia Falls to the International Border after 1921, the Inside Road from Polebridge to Belton remained the most used by North Fork settlers, commercial traffic and all North Fork mail. This was because the Coal Creek to Columbia Falls stretch was prone to landslides and washouts, especially from Canyon Creek to Great Northern Flats.

Pile-driven bridge structures were constructed across the high silt-side hills at Fool Hen Hill, and the county had a steam shovel side-casting material on road-widening projects until about 1931, when the shovel went over the bank and into the river just north of Canyon Creek. This spot was later known as "Ruder's Point" after Hungry Horse News editor Mel Ruder went off the road at the same spot. Luckily, no one was seriously hurt.

In 1952, an immense infestation of spruce bark beetle was discovered in the North Fork. As a result, timber sales accelerated and road improvement became necessary to safely haul logs to the mills in Columbia Falls. Between 1952 and 1955, the North Fork Road was rebuilt from Canyon Creek to Big Creek, and major improvements were made north to Whale Creek. All of these improvements were done by the Forest Service to expedite spruce salvage-logging operations.

As a result of the road improvements, the North Fork mail route was changed from the Inside Road to the North Fork Road form Columbia Falls in 1955. This route is still used today.

The North Fork was the terminus of Glacier National Park's Camas Creek Road, built in 1964, and the stretch form Columbia Falls to Canyon Creek was paved by 1974.

By 1979, the Forest Service had turned all road maintenance over to Flathead County. In that agreement, the Forest Service made gravel and quarry sites available, stockpiled and crushed rock to be used by the county for "surfacing activities," and agreed to widen several spots and replace several bridges.

Today, the Forest Service has no direct management responsibilities for the road. However, the federal government does contribute to county roads with PILT (payment in lieu of taxes) monies and the RAC (Resource Advisory Committee) fund. This amounts to well over $1 million per year.